Labelling machines



June 19, 1956 T. v. SCOTT ,7 0

LABELLING MACHINES Filed March 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l nvenlor flaw/75 V o5 carr June 19, 1956 T SCOTT 2,751,103

LABELLING MACHINES Filed March 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor ff/QMHJ V 52477 m r- M Attorneys June 19, 1956 'r. v. SCOTT 2,751,103

LABELLING MACHINES 7 Filed March 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor 7"/d/Wfl6 V 0 607)" B mwzmw A ttorn e 5 LABELLING MACHINES Thomas Vincent Scott, Sheffield, England, assignor to Morgan Fairest Limited, Shefield, Engiann Appiication March 1, 1955, Serial No. 491,429

Ciahns. (Ci. 216-65) This invention relates to labelling machines for applying top-strap labels over the heads of the screwed stoppers of bottles and down each side of the end of the bottle neck, and is particularly concerned with machines having a top-strapping head containing a central plunger movable within the head when urged by operative contact with the stopper of a bottle to be top-strapped, and resiliently-faced blocks within the head that close by such plunger movement onto the sides of the stopper and the end of the bottle neck to press the ends of a gummed label carried from the face of the head by the operative contact of the stopper with the plunger.

The operation of the head requires the application of a label to and across the face of the head, the gumming of the label, and the bringing of the plunger into operative contact with the stopper of the bottle, and these steps are most conveniently performed by movement of the head between two stations at which respectively the label is applied to the head and the operative contact is effected, the gum being applied to the label as the head moves from one station to the other. It is important that each label shall be removed with certainty and singly from a supply stack, and accurately positioned on the head, so that it is correctly positioned for application to the bottle. The greater the rate of operation, the greater the danger of faulty withdrawal from the stack and misplacement across the head. One object of the invention across the head and operative contact is made between a stoppered bottle and the head with the label, with an intermediate gumming device to gum the label on the head, comprises a label stack carried alongside the head and movable with it, cams traversed by the head and the stack assembly in a movement in which the assembly enters both stations, a suction picker movable from a position opposite one end of the stack to another across the face of the head, and also movable towards and away from the stack and the head when in these positions, the cams in turn serving to move the picker towards and away from the stack, to move the picker with an extracted label across the face of the head, to move the picker and label to the face of the head, to withdraw the picker alone from the face of the head, and to return the picker into line with the stack, and suction openings in the face of .the head to retain a label until the head applies the label to a bottle. With means to cut oft the suction at the picker when the label has been brought by it across and to the face of the head, and means to apply suction at the face of the head, the label is held to the head ready for application to a bottle.

The picker is preferably carried by swinging links from Patented June 19, 1956 to the face of the head. A cam follower roller carried on an extension beyond the pivot for one of the links serves for the cam that returns the picker from the face of the head. The picker is preferably part of a lever, carrying a follower roller for the cam that moves the picker towards and away from the stack; and this lever preferably carries another follower roller to co-operate with a cam carried by the head to guide the picker close to the face of the head. A cam on the picker and a fixed roller under the path of the head are preferably used to bring about final approach of the picker to the face of the head.

In order to avoid extraction of a label from any stack when the absence of a bottle from the feed sequence means that no bottle is presented to the head associated with that stack, a detector device may be disposed alongside the feed means for the bottles to control a valve in the suction line to the picker, the valve having two ports, one connecting the picker to a source of suction and the other connecting the picker to atmosphere, the latter connection resulting when there is no bottle to be detected by the detector device. The detector device may be a switch to control the valve through a solenoid.

In order to prevent application of gum to the suction face of the head in the event of no label being applied by the picker lever to the head, the line supplying suction to the suction face of the head just in advance of gumming may be connected to a diaphragm to control a gumming device that is movable into and out of operative position with respect to the head, so that if a label is not present on the head there is insufficient suction to operate the diaphragm and the gumming device is moved to inoperative position. The diaphragm may serve to operate a switch to control the gumming device through a solenoid.

For dealing with bottles in rapid sequence, the labelling machine comprises a number of the heads, each with its own stack movable with it, for the application of labels to the heads and gumming to take place progressively over a number of the heads and the application of the labels from the heads to a number of bottles to follow progressively in succession. Each associated head and stack of the plurality of heads and stacks need to be supplied with suction in appropriate sequence and this may be effected by means of a valve with a stationary part with ports and connections to a suction supply and a rotary part with ports to connect each head and picker lever sequentially to the ports of the stationary part.

Moreover, absences of bottles and absences of labels on the picker levers may be taken care of by connecting the suction connection of the stationary part for the picker levers to a valve that may be open to atmosphere as described above, and by connecting the suction connection of the stationary part for holding the label to the head just in advance of gumming to a diaphragm for controlling the gumming device, as also described above.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of one head and stack, with the picker mechanism in one position;

Figure 2 corresponds to Figure l, but mechanism in another position;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic elevation of the upper part of a multi-head machine;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic cycle of the machine; and

Figure 6 is a diagram showing control mechanism to prevent extraction of a label in the event of absence of a bottle in the feed sequence and to prevent operation shows the picker head, taken on the plan showing the operative 3 of the gumming device in the absence of a label on any head.

in Figures 1 to 3, a top-strapping head 1 is shown carried below an overhead support 2 (see also Figure 4) so that suction pads 3 at the lower face lie above the stopper 5 of a bottle 6. When a label 7 lies with its gummed side down across the pads 3 and across a suction pad 3 on a plunger 9 and the bottle is lifted, the stopper 5 partly raises the plunger. The label 7 being trapped between the pad 8 and the stopper 5, the ends of the label are drawn from the pads 3 and lie between the bottle neck and a pair of resilient pads 10 inside the head. Further raising of the plunger .9 by the bottle causes the plunger to raise a slide 11., which is connected by links 12 to blocks 13 carrying the pads 10. The blocks 13 are carried by pairs of links 114 and are thus caused to move inwards as they rise. The inward movement presses the ends of the label 7 to the sides of the bottle neck. Lowering of the bottle 6 allows the pads 19 to move outwards, and the label 7 remains adhering to the stopper 5 and the sides of the bottle neck.

The label '7 is supplied from a stack 14 carried along side the outer side of the head 1 by a bracket 15. Clawended guides 16 support the bottom of the wad 17 of labels and permit the lowermost label to be removed by a suction picker 18 formed by one end of a lever 19 pivoted at 29 and normally resting by gravity on a stop 21 on a bracket 22 having pivotal connections at 20, 23 to the bottom ends of two pairs of parallel links 24, 25 and Z ta, 25a. The links are pivoted at 26, 27 to the bracket 15, and provide that the bracket 22 always moves parallel to itself.

The overhead support 2 rotates about the vertical axis of the machine (as will appear from Figures 4 and 5) and carries the head 1 and stack 14 past stationary cams. A cam 25 is engaged by a follower roller 29 on the outer end of the picker lever i? when the links 24, 25 an 34a, 25:: are in the position shown in Figure l and lifts the picker end of the lever into contact with the bottom of the label wad 17. Suction applied by a tube 31 to a passage Til in the lever 19 and thence by 32 to the upper face of the lever enables a label to be withdrawn as the cam 28 permits the picker end of the lever 19 to rock downwardly.

A cam 33 then encounters a follower roller 34 on the bracket 22 and rocks the parallel link mechanism about the pivots 26, 27 to push the lever 19 towards the head 1. A follower roller 35 encounters a cam 36 carried by the head 1 to ensure that the end of the lever 19 passes under the face 4 of the head and guides the label 7 under the suction pads 3 and ii. A cam 37 on the underside of the lever 19 then encounters a fixed roller 33 to push the label, 7 to the pads 3 and 3 (or-the obvious cquivalent thcrc may be a roller at 37 to encounter a cam at 38).

Suction applied at the pads 3 and 8 holds the label to the head 1, the suction at 32 in the picker is cut oil, and the lever 19 is withdrawn by the action of a cam 39 encountered by a follower :roller 40 on an upward extension 41 of one of the parallel links 2511, aided by the tension spring 42. Adjustable stopsdS on an upward extension 44 of one of the parallel links 24 engage the bracket 15 to control the swinging of the links.

Suction is applied (as described in detail below) to a valve 45 at the upper end of the machine axis (Figure 4) and is distributed by a rotary part 45 of the valve by tubes 47 and 48 to the pads 3 and 8 and by tubes 49 to the tubes 3! and passages 31 of the picker levers 19 of all the heads 1. Figures 4 and 5 show a machine using twelve heads 1. Bottles 6 are fed by a conveyor 5%, transferred by a star-wheel S1 to twelve supports 52 rotatable about the axis of the machine, and removed by a starwheel 53 to a delivery conveyor 54. Each support 52 lies immediately below one of the heads 1. At position A (Figure 5) in the machine cycle, soon after any sup port 52 has delivered its bottle 6 to the star-wheel 53, the cam 28 is encountered and the picker lever 19 under suction from the tube 49 takes a label 7 from the wad 17 (Figure 1). From 13 to C, the cam 33 propels the bracket 22 inwards and the label 7 is brought under the head 1 (Figure 2). From C to D, the roller 38 causes the label to be pressed to the head, where it is held by suction from the tubes 47, 43. The suction to the tube 49 supplying the picker lever 19 is now cut off. From D to E, the cam 39 retracts the picker lever 19, and during a part F to G of this part of the cycle the head 1 moves over a gum roller 55 (Figure l) supplied by a roller 56 to gum the lower face of the label 7.

The head 1 carrying the gummed label now passes over a bottle 6 fed to one of the supports 52 by the star-wheel 52. in its passage between the star-wheels 51, 53, the support 52 is lifted by a stationary cam (not shown) to press the bottle stopper 5 against the label to effect the transfer 05 the label to the bottle in the manner already described.

Because any stack 14 and its associated picker mechanism (lever arm 19, links 24, 24a, 25, 25a, etc.) remain accurately located with respect to each other and to the head 1 by which they are carried, each lowermost label in the wad 17 is correctly positioned for the suction end of the picker lever 19 to remove it with certainty and the removed label 7 remains correctly positioned on the lever 19 for accurate application to the pads 3 and 8 of the head 1. By the time a head 1 has passed the station represented by CD (Figure 5), the label 7 is left adhering to the head, with ample time for gumming by the roller 51 before the gummed label is brought above a bottle 6 fed onto one of the supports 52 for operative contact to be made between the stopper 5 of the bottle and the gummed face of the label.

With twelve heads 1, as in Figure 5, top-strapping may be effected in rapid continuous sequence. Each individual stack 14 may hold a wad 17 containing a very large number of labels, e. g. 3000, so that the twelve heads enable the machine to run without label-replenishment for nearly 4 hours at the high throughput of 1000 dozen bottles per hour. The machine may be quickly re-loaded with labels, since the stacks '14 are conveniently located outside the circle of heads 1. As indicated .in Figure 4, the heads 1 on the rotatable support 2 and the associated mechanism moving with the heads may be readily enclosed when the machine is in operation, since re-loading of the stacks .14 is only necessary at infrequent intervals, and adjustment of the picker mechanism itself is rarely necessary so long as the same size of label remains in use.

A gap in the feed sequence caused by the absence of a bottle 6 on the conveyor 5% makes it desirable that'no label shall be applied to the particular head 1 that would otherwise have operated on a bottle occupying the position of the .gap. Moreover, if any head 1 fails to receive a label 7, it is very important that the gum roller 55 shall not apply gum to the uncovered pads 3, 8 on the head. Figure 6 shows provision for eifectin g these safeguards.

In Figures 5 and 6, a detector switch 57 is disposed alongside the conveyor 50 to engage a bottle '6 spaced by two bottle intervals from the star-wheel 51 (Figure 5) and is closed by each bottle 6 that vis fed into the machine. Closing of the switch 57 energises a solenoid 58 'topull a valve .59 to the right (Figure 6) to allow a groove port 60 to register with a suction line 61. The groove .60 communicates by a hole 62 with the .bore 63 of thevalve 59 and thus by :a tube 64 to a port 65 in the stationary valve part 46 (also shown in Figure 4). This port 65 corresponds in angular position with the position A in Figure 5 at which suction must be applied by the tube 49 to enable the picker lever 19 to withdraw a label from the stack 14. The tube 49 is shown both leading to the picker lever .19 at the top of Figure 6 andalso at the showing of the rotary valve part 45 at the middle of Figure :6 (the part 45 also being seen in Figure 4) The'parts 45 and I" q-og 46 are shown displaced in Figure 6, so that their separate ports may be clearly seen. i

If a bottle 6 is absent from the conveyor 50, the switch 57 is left open at the instant when a label should be withdrawn at position A (Figure 5). The solenoid 58 is not energised, springs 59A cause the valve 59 to move to the left and a second groove port 66 passes the end of the valve body 67 to open the bore 63 to atmosphere through a hole 68. The tube 49 is thus open to atmosphere through the port 65 and the tube 64, so that no suction is applied to the picker lever 19 of the head 1 passing position A and that head receives no label. When that head 1 moves above its associated support 52 towards the star-wheel 51, it reaches the gap in the star-wheel to which no bottle has been supplied.

However, whenever a bottle 6 is present on the conveyor 50 to close the switch 57, a label is applied to a head 1 at position A, and the rotation of the valve part 45 brings the tube 49 associated with that head into position for its port 75 to meet a port 70 in the part 46. A lower degree of suction is applied to the port 70 by a tube 71 to hold the label 7 to the head 1 in the early part of the movement between positions B and C.

A port 72 on a radius inside that of ports 65 and 70 communicates with the port 70 and starts and finishes later than the port 70. The tubes 47, 48 to the pads 3, 8 are connected by a tube 73 to one of an inner circle of twelve ports 74 in the rotary part 45, i. e., inside the circle of twelve ports 75 for the tubes 49. Thus, in the later part of the movement between positions B and C a low degree of suction is appled to the pads 3, 8 and is maintained after the particular port 75 has left the port 70. The label 7 is thus free from the picker lever 19 and held to the head 1.

In the part 46, a port 76 is fed by high suction from a tube 77 to hold the label 7 firmly to the head 1 during gumming between positions F and G. Maintenance of this suction in the tube 73 leading to the pads 3, 8 of the head is dependent on their being a label 7 on the pads. If a label is absent (e. g. by exhaustion of a wad 17 in the particular stack 14, or by failure of the picker lever 19 to extract a label), the gumming roller 55 is prevented from applying gum to the pads 3, 8.

For this purpose, the roller 55 swings round the gum transfer roller 56 on a lever mounting 78 (top of Figure 6) and is pulled into an upright position to engage a label 7 on the pads 3, 8 by a solenoid 79 when the solenoid is energised. The solenoid circuit is completed by a switch 80 when the switch is closed by a knob 81 that is pulled down by a diaphragm 82 when sufiicient suction is ex- Q erted in the diaphragm chamber 83 through a tube 84 connected to the tube 77 and by the port 76 and one of the ports 74 with the pads 3, 8. Absence of a label 7 on the pads 3, 8 prevents the pipe 77 from applying sufilcient suction to pull the diaphragm 82 against its spring 85, the switch 80 opens, the solenoid 79 is de-energised, and a spring 86 pulls the lever mounting 78 to rock the gumming rollers 55 to the left (dotted lines in Figure 6), clear of the pads 3, 8.

If a label 7 has been correctly presented to the pads 3, 8, the roller 55 gums the face of the label, and the continued rotation of the head 1 carries the particular port 74 over a further inner port 87 in the part 46 fed with a lower degree of suction by a tube 88 to hold the label to the head until it is applied to a bottle 6.

There are, of course, twelve tubes 49 and twelve tubes 73 from the rotary part 45. For clarity, only one of each has been shown in Figure 6, and these are shown at two different angular positions, the tube 49 at the position corresponding to position A (where transfer of a label from a stack 14 is dependent on there being a bottle 6 opposite the switch 57 at the conveyor 50) and the tube 73 at the position corresponding to positions F and G (where gumming must be prevented in the absence of a label on the head, whether because of a bottle in the sequence, or because of faulty transfer from the stack 14 or exhaustion of the wad 17 in the stack).

The suction tubes 61, 71, 77, and 78 from the stationary valve part 46 are led to suction pump (not shown) in the base of the machine, one such tube 61 being indicated at the top of Figure 4.

What I claim is:

l. A top-strapping labelling machine having a topstrapping head movable between stations at which respectively a label is applied across the face of the head and operative contact is made between a stoppered bottle and the head with the label, with an intermediate gumming device to gum the label on the head, a label stack carried alongside the head and movable with it, cams transversed by the head and the stack assembly in a movement in which the assembly enters both stations, a suction picker movable from a position opposite one end of the stack to another across the face of the head, and also movable towards and away from the stack and the head when in these positions, the cams in turn serving to move the picker towards and away from the stack, to move the picker with an extracted label across the face of the head, to move the picker and label to the face of the head, to withdraw the picker alone from the face of the head, and to return the picker into line with the stack, and suction openings in the face of the head to retain a label until the head applies the label to a bottle.

2. Labelling machine as in claim 1, wherein the picker is carried by swinging links from the head.

3. Labelling machine as in claim 2, comprising parallel pairs of swinging links to carry the picker, a bracket connected to the swinging ends of the links, and a follower roller on the bracket for the cam that moves the picker to the face of the head.

4. Labelling machine as in claim 3, comprising an extension on one of the links, and a cam follower roller on the extension to engage the cam that returns the picker from the face of the head.

5. Labelling machine as in claim 1, comprising a lever embodying the picker, and a follower roller on the lever for the cam that moves the picker towards and away from the stack.

6. Labelling machine as in claim 5, wherein the lever carries another follower roller to co-operate with a cam carried by the head to guide the picker close to the face of the head.

7. Labelling machine as in claim 1, comprising a cam on the picker and a fixed roller under the path of the head to bring about final approach of the picker to the face of the head.

8. A top-strapping labelling machine having a topstrapping head movable between stations at which respectively a label is applied across the face of the head and operative contact is made between a stoppered bottle and the head with the label, with an intermediate gumming device to gum the label on the head, feed means for feeding bottles in succession to the second station, a label stack carried alongside the head and movable with it, a suction picker movable from a position opposite one end of the stack to another across the face of the head, and also movable towards and away from the stack and the head when in these positions, cams to move the picker towards and away from the stack and towards and away from the face of the head, suction openings in the face of the head to retain a label until the head applies the label to a bottle, a detector device disposed alongside the feed means for the bottles, and a suction valve for the picker controlled by the detector device, the valve having two ports, one connecting the picker to a source of suction and the other connecting the picker to atmosphere, the latter connection resulting when there is no bottle to be detected by the detector device.

9. Labelling machine as in claim 8, comprising a switch 7 as the detector device, and a solenoid controlled by the switch and itself controlling the suction valve.

10. A top-strapping labelling machine having a topstrapping head movable between stations at which respectively a label is applied across the face of the head and operative contact is made between a stoppered bottle and the head with the label, with an intermediate gumming device to gum the label on the head, feed means for feeding bottles in succession to the second station, a label stack carried alongside the head and movable with it, a suction picker movable from a position opposite one end of the stack to another across the face of the head, and also movable towards and away from the stack and the head when in these positions, cams to move the picker towards and away from the stack and towards and away from the face of the head, suction openings in the face of the head to retain a label until the head applies the label to a bottle, a gumming device that is movable into and out of operative position with respect to the head, a diaphragm in operative connection with the gumming device, and a connection from the suction face of the head to the diaphragm, so that if a label is not present on the head there is insufficient suction to operate the diaphragm and the gumming device is moved to inoperative position.

ll. Labelling machine as in claim 10, comprising a switch controlled by the diaphragm and a solenoid controlled by the switch to provide the operative connection between the diaphragm and the gumming device.

12. A top-strapping labelling machine having a plurality of top-strapping heads movable in succession between stations at which respectively a label is applied across the face of each head and operative contact is made between a stoppered bottle and the head with the label, with an intermediate gumming device in the path of the heads to gum the successive labels carried by the heads, a label stack carried alongside each head and movable with it, cams traversed by the head and the stack assemblies in the movement of the assemblies to and through both stations, a suction picker carried by each head and movable from a position opposite one end of the stack to another across the face of the head, and

also movable towards and away from the stack and the head when in these positions, the cams serving to move each picker towards and away from its stack and towards and away from the face of the associated head, suction openings in the face of the head to retain a label until the head applies the label to a bottle, and feed means for feeding bottles in succession into the machine.

13. Labelling machine as in claim 12, comprising a suction control valve having a stationary part, suction supply ports in that part, and a rotary part, with ports in that part separately connected to the suction faces of the heads and to the associated pickers, whereby each head and associated picker is supplied with suction from the stationary part in appropriate sequence.

14. Labelling machine as in claim 13, comprising a detector device disposed alongside the feed means for the bottles, and a valve controlled by the detector device, the valve having two ports, one port connecting to a port in the stationary part of the suction control valve that supplies the pickers sequentially with suction, and the other port connecting to atmosphere, in accordance with the control exercised by the detector device, whereby absence of a bottle from the feed sequence causes the picker to be opened to atmosphere at a head that will receive no bottle.

15. Labelling machine as in claim 13, comprising a diaphragm connected to a port in the stationary part of the suction control valves that supply the suction faces of the heads, a gumming device that is movable into and out of operative position with respect to the faces of the heads, and an operative connection between the diaphragm and the gumming device, whereby the gumming device is moved to inoperative position when absence of a label from the suction face of any head renders the diaphragm inoperative.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,238,436 Von Hofe Apr. 15, 1941 2,371,265 Ray Mar. 13, 1945 2,655,301 Riemer Oct. 13, 1953 

